Plastic barrel

ABSTRACT

A plastic barrel for storing and transporting liquid, granular and pulverous materials. The barrel includes a conical, stackable barrel body and a closing cover for the upper filling opening. The wall of the barrel body has in the area of the bottom of the barrel inwardly directed stacking cams which are formed from the wall of the barrel body and are provided with support surfaces for supporting the barrel bottom of another barrel body stacked in the barrel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to plastic barrel for storing and transporting liquid, granular and pulverous materials. The barrel includes a conical, stackable barrel body and a closing cover for the upper filling opening.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Large-volume containers of the above-described type which have a conical shape have the advantage that they can be stacked one into the other when they are empty and that, therefore, the storage costs and particularly the transporting costs are low.

[0005] When conical barrels which are stacked one into the other are transported, there is the danger that the barrels are clamped into one another because of shaking movements, so that it is difficult to take the individual barrels from the stack. The same problem occurs when conical barrels are stored.

[0006] The conical wide-neck steel drums known from EP 0 471 918 A1 are equipped with a bunghole opening arranged in a lower bottom, wherein the bunghole opening can be closed in a liquid-tight manner by a cover. The bunghole opening makes it possible to insert an auxiliary means, such as a pulling device or a turning spindle, through the bunghole opening in the bottom of the lower barrel in the stack in such a way that an operator can push the clamped inner drum of the stack with little force and without damaging the drum. However, it is still difficult to take apart a larger drum stack in this manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is the primary object of the present invention to develop a conical plastic barrel which can be separated from a stack easily and without damaging the barrel.

[0008] In accordance with the present invention, the wall of the barrel body has in the area of the bottom of the barrel inwardly directed stacking cams which are formed from the wall of the barrel body and are provided with support surfaces for supporting the barrel bottom of another barrel body stacked in the barrel.

[0009] The conical plastic barrel according to the present invention provides the advantage that when the barrels are stacked, gaps remain between the walls of the stacked barrels because of the inwardly directed stacking cams formed into the walls of the barrel body in the area of the bottom thereof with support surfaces for supporting the barrel body of another drum body stacked in the barrel, so that the barrels cannot clamp relative to each other and the barrels can be easily removed from the stack of barrels.

[0010] The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawing and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0011] In the drawing:

[0012]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a plastic barrel according to the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a top view of the open barrel;

[0014]FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, on a larger scale, of the cover area of the barrel; and

[0015]FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lower areas of a stack of four barrels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The blow-molded plastic barrel 1 according to FIGS. 1 to 3, which preferably is used as a water barrel, has a conical barrel body 2 which is divided into 6 annular segments 3 to 8 whose diameter increases in stages from the barrel bottom 9 to the upper filling opening 10, wherein the filling opening 10 can be closed by means of a cover 11. The closing cover 11 is fastened on the barrel body 2 by means of a bayonet-type closure 12.

[0017] Four inwardly directed prismatic stacking cams 14 each having a triangular support surface 15 for supporting the barrel bottom 9 of a barrel body 2 stacked in the barrel are formed in the wall 13 of the barrel body 2 in the area of the barrel bottom 9. As seen in FIG. 4, when several barrels 1 are stacked into one another, the stacking cams 14 provide the result that gaps 16 remain between the walls 13 of the barrels 1, so that the barrels 1 cannot be clamped into each other and the barrels can be removed from the stack without difficulties.

[0018] Provided in the barrel wall 13 in the area of the barrel bottom 9 is an outlet opening 17 with an internal thread which can be closed with a screw plug 18.

[0019] The closing cover 11 of the plastic barrel 1, which is reinforced by radially extending stiffening ribs 19 which are formed from the cover 11, has a central opening 20 which can be closed by means of a cover 21 and a clamping ring 22.

[0020] For example, the end of a downpipe of a gutter of a residential building can be placed into the central opening 20 of the closing cover 11. If the water barrel 1 is used in agriculture, there is the possibility of mixing additives, for example, chlorine additives, into the water through the cover opening 20.

[0021] In accordance with an embodiment of the plastic barrel 1 which differs from the illustrated embodiment, formed on the closing cover 11 can be a bung pipe with a bung opening which can be closed by a bung plug.

[0022] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles. 

I claim:
 1. A plastic barrel for storing and transporting liquid, granular, and pulverous materials, the barrel comprising a conical, stackable barrel body and a closing cover for an upper filling opening, the barrel body further having a wall and a bottom, further comprising inwardly directed stacking cams formed into the wall of the barrel body in an area of the bottom of the barrel body, wherein the stacking cams have support surfaces adapted to support a barrel bottom of a barrel body stacked in the barrel.
 2. The barrel according to claim 1, wherein each stacking cam has a prismatic shape, and wherein the support surface of the stacking cam is triangular.
 3. The barrel according to claim 1, wherein a bottom area of the barrel wall has an outlet opening with an internal thread, wherein the outlet opening is closable by a screw plug.
 4. The barrel according to claim 1, comprising a bayonet closure for fastening the closing cover to the barrel body.
 5. The barrel according to claim 4, wherein the closing cover has a central opening and a cover and a clamping ring for closing the central opening.
 6. The barrel according to claim 4, wherein the closing cover has a central bung pipe with a bung opening which is closable by a bung plug.
 7. The barrel according to claim 1, wherein the closing cover has stiffening ribs formed from the closing cover.
 8. The barrel according to claim 1, wherein the barrel body is blow-molded in a single piece of plastic, the barrel body being comprised of annular segments whose diameters increase in stages from the bottom to the upper filling opening. 